As synthetic biology has developed it has become vital for all members of the community, regardless of discipline, to share a baseline understanding of the subject. We decided to promote a statewide understanding through the Virginia Public School System. It became clear in our early conversations with high school students that the Virginia Standards of Learning had provided a background in genetics, but did not encourage students to use apply background to the exploration of synthetic biology topics. To address this, we worked with the Virginia Department of Education to update the Biology Standards of Learning. To support teachers in this curriculum change we create a teacher course supported by a NASA mini-proposal, and have entered a partnership with Thermofisher Scientific working to improve Virginia student’s access to synthetic biology wet lab experiences. Our process and partnerships can be found here.

Sustainability is an incredibly important when building community partnerships. Lasting relationships and collaborative learning require intentionality. Our team is dedicated to continuing our meaningful community conversations even outside of competition season by creating new annual programs and large events. Our efforts in sustainability can be found here.